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Maps of the Rail Trail

Map of Wayland Rail Trail

The abandoned rail bed, last used in 1971 runs about 3 miles east-west from Weston town line to Sudbury town line. It starts at the edge of the Weston Woods at the Rowan Hills Conservation Area crosses Plain Rd, and Glenn Rd then passes by Mill Pond, Historic Town Center, Library, crosses 126/27 intersection, Wayland Depot and the proposed Railroad Interpretive Site. It goes behind the businesses on Route 20 to the New Town Center Development, crosses Route 20 at Russell’s, and goes over the Sudbury River into the Great Meadows National Wildlife Refuge.

The Mass Central rail line was started in 1868 to operate between Boston and Northampton. Service on the Mass Central line ended for good in 1971. Two sections of the Mass Central Rail Trail (MCRT) have already been converted to rail trails. The Wayside Trail is 23 miles on the MCRT that includes the towns of Waltham, Weston, Wayland, Sudbury, Hudson, and Berlin. In 1997, the town of Wayland voted to approve converting the abandoned rail to a walking and biking trail. Also in 1997, a Feasibility Study from the state concluded it was feasible to convert the rail to a trail, and the Town of Wayland Master Plan includes converting the rail to a trail. Brief History of the Wayside Rail Trail